Gonna build a Flying Mile GSX1100

Well, after watching the fantastic Bonneville programmes and having a 30 minute chat with PJ, of PJ and Dave GSX1100ET LSR bike fame( the guy with the furnace in his garage!), I am looking for a good condition/repairable, aircooled, pre 1990 engine and frame, preferably a GSX1100ET, but not essential.

If anybody knows of a very cheap one or someone who will share costs and riding at Pendine, I will do the modding and fabbing .

Picked up a Passat full of stuff from my mate Tony's unit last night;

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1167.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1166.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1165.jpg

Think I will go with the ET/ESD frame instead of the EFE frames. Threw a few parts on it for a laugh;

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1182.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1183.jpg

Only way that's going fast is off a cliff - a bit more work needed i reckon!!

keep us posted, looks like a proper interesting build!!

I did have an engine lined up, but didn't have enough cash. Been offered some engine parts on loan from one of the Bonneville guys, PJ, the guy with the foundry in his garage.

check engine mounts alan im not sure if the efe motor goes into the early frame or not without adjustments but hacksaw and welder

I wish I had your technical ability! That build looks awesome!

please keep us posted!

I wondered how long it would be Alan before the bug bit you again......

Good luck with the build.....expecting a proper build thread when you get all the bits together mate.....

Will do chaps. I think all the GSX motors and some GSXR motors will go straight in. Just need some engine plates and studs. Picking up an engine on loan next month.

Is that a TLR and TLS swing arms I spy in the pics?

Don't think so mate, but you never know with Suzuki! Thought they were a GSX1100ET, a Gixxer 600 and a Hayabusa. Probs gonna use the Busa one, inverted !!!

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1186.jpg

That one does look a lot like a TLR one but it will only fit the TLR and you would know if it was an R swinger

Gutted I was going to make an offer and fit it to mine

if you need any calcs doing to make sure that things are safe and going to work then give me a shout mate, might as well make my brain work properly lol oh and what are you going to do, a streamline?

Alan, will you be giving it the 'holeshot racing' type treatment ?

Thanks Bex, may do just that. Tankbag, I have very little cash for this project and I just missed a motor for £400. If anyone wants to provide an engine, they can share the riding ?

alan you have been onto oldskoolsuzuki havent you normally lots of bits on there

That's where I got em from mate and you wouldn't believe the price! Should get a lot of the cost of a stock engine by selling the parts I don't use.

i am genuinely gutted that we live so far apart. i would love to get my hands dirty on this project.

Always welcome Martin. Gotta bring some GSX bits with ya though, or a pair of GS750 oil pump gears?

ive got a pre '90 gsx... but its a 400f. lol.

Hhmmm. May be fitting 400Gixxer front end?

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1191.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/megawattblade/All%20bike%20pix/GSX1100%20project/IMAG1190.jpg

i do have a spare front end going cheap...

a complete rsv 1000r front end. USD forks, stem, bearings, yokes, bars, levers, wheel, tyre, disks and brembo brakes. all you'd need to do is have your stem pressed into the botton yoke or modify the aprilia one to fit your headstock..

i was going to tranasplant it onto my chop but have decided to keep the R1 frontend thats on it instead.

Two questions. Is it lightweight and is it cheap or on loan or free? This is a very, very low budget project. I don't need a bike that goeas around corners! Just long straight lines. I am toying with the idea of putting it on the road at some point, with vaguely drag bike looks?

I have some scales so I'll weight it tommoro but I reckon front ends don't get much lighter than modern sportsbike ones unless you can afford carbon wheels.

I'd like ti say you could have it on loan but unfortunately I am feeling the financial squeeze at the mo as I've just bought yet another car.. I'd class it as cheap seeing how I'd let it go for £350. Folks on ebay are asking that for just forks. But all things are relative and if that's beyond your budget I'll stick it on ebay.

Just out of interest , why are you opting for a heavy and underpowered bike as a base for a lightweight speedster? Does it have to be air cooled and pre 1990? Gsx are nice bikes but are not famed for their masses of power where as the oil cooled bandit 12 lump is cheaper to buy than say a gsxr11 one and chuck out a fair amount of grunt.

I can't wait to follow this build..

It's more nostalgia than anything else Martin. I raced my GSX1100ET, with a 998cc Katana engine in in 1983 and won all the under 1000cc Sprint FTDs, trophies and two national championships. I converted it to a 1260cc ProStocker in 1984 and then went up to 1325cc until 1988, when my money ran out. I'm not gonna win anything against the newer engined bikes this year cos I haven't got the sorta money I used to plough into the dragbike.

I am on a mission to convince younger sprinters that you don't need masses of power to go quick on the strip. In 83 my engine was totally stock and reliable, but my chassis weighed nothing. It was built to comply with the rules at the time, which didn't include a starter or an MOT. I managed 10.67 secs ET without an air shifter and 10.35 secs with one.

Riding on sand will be a whole different ball game. No hard launches, just a gradual increase in speed towards the start timing lights. I will need to hold max speed for about one mile and then very carefully slow down. PJ told me to either remove the front brake or connect it to the rear brake master cylinder!!!

If I can build a reliable air cooled engine that does decent times that will be great. I have been offered complete oil cooled engines for less money than the air cooled lumps, but it's all about the nostalgia

Should have some progress on this on Sunday night. Heading up to Welwyn to meet PJ and attend the inaugural Pendine LRC meeting. Will probably volunteer for a job to help PJ out . The payback is I'm heading to Ian Foxon's place on the way there. He has offered to lend me a load of engine parts and so has PJ. Once I have crankcases I can make a start on engine brackets and sorting a back end out. I'll be talking to Dixiethedog again on Monday as he has offered a pallet load of stuff including an extended swingarm, Propipe and back wheel. !!!